U.S. patent number 3,881,761 [Application Number 05/421,184] was granted by the patent office on 1975-05-06 for automatic mechanical tongs with open and closed stable positions.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Groupement Atomique Alsacienne Atlantique. Invention is credited to Roger Gerard, Andre Meyer.
United States Patent |
3,881,761 |
Meyer , et al. |
May 6, 1975 |
Automatic mechanical tongs with open and closed stable
positions
Abstract
Mechanical automatic bistable tongs with a view to the
manipulation of cylindrical objects with a very elongated shape,
such as tubes, pipes, rods, etc., permitting the pickup of these
pieces at a very specific place and the depositing of these pieces
at a predetermined place, with precision. The tongs include means
for opening and closing the jaws, activated by jacks. The action of
the jacks moves a slide which causes a system of connecting rods to
move from one stable position to another stable position, bringing
about the opening or closing of the tongs respectively.
Inventors: |
Meyer; Andre (Chatenay-Malabry,
FR), Gerard; Roger (Chevilly-Larue, FR) |
Assignee: |
Groupement Atomique Alsacienne
Atlantique (Le Plessis, Robinson, FR)
|
Family
ID: |
27249428 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/421,184 |
Filed: |
December 3, 1973 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
193266 |
Oct 28, 1971 |
|
|
|
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Oct 29, 1970 [FR] |
|
|
70.39013 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
294/198; 901/36;
294/106; 901/39; 976/DIG.252 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B23Q
7/043 (20130101); G21C 19/105 (20130101); E21B
19/00 (20130101); B25J 15/0206 (20130101); Y02E
30/30 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B25J
15/02 (20060101); G21C 19/02 (20060101); G21C
19/105 (20060101); E21B 19/00 (20060101); B23Q
7/04 (20060101); B25b () |
Field of
Search: |
;294/106,11R,115,119,104,100,83R,83A,88 ;269/201,228 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Blunk; Evon C.
Assistant Examiner: Valenza; Joseph E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn &
Macpeak
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No.
193,266 filed on Oct. 28, 1971, now abandoned, entitled "Grouping
of Automatic Bistable Tongs."
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An assembly for locking mechanical tongs at open and closed
stable position, said assembly comprising:
a framework;
a pair of clamping jaws mounted for pivoting between open and
closed positions above a fixed axis within said framework;
a pair of connecting rods operatively coupled to said jaws and to
an intermediate rod, and forming with said intermediate rod, a
first knuckle joint slidable with respect to said framework;
a spring jack rotatable about a second fixed axis within said
framework;
a sliding rod connected operatively on one side to said spring jack
and on the other side to said intermediate rod forming with said
intermediate rod, a second knuckle joint;
a slide operatively coupled to said second knuckle joint and
transversally movable within said framework between stops on either
side of a straight line defined by said first fixed axis and said
second fixed axis; and
ball detent means carried by said slide for engaging said framework
at positions defined by said stops to lock said slide with said
second knuckle joint maintaining said jaws respectively in open and
closed stable positions.
2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
said framework comprises a cylindrical piece including at each end
a ball receiving recess,
said slide comprises a cylindrical member concentrically positioned
within said cylindrical piece and bearing at each end a ball
receiving recess,
said ball detent means comprising further at each end of said
cylindrical member of the slide, spring biased pistons having an
internal portion of the same diameter as their housing and an
external portion with a smaller diameter leaving a leeway in its
housing;
whereby, said slide tending to remain in a fixed position with
respect to the framework when the larger portion of the pistons is
facing said drillings of the slide and tends to be free to slide
when the piston is pushed by an external force compressing said
spring and when the smaller portion of the piston is facing said
recess of the slide.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention concerns mechanical automatic bistable tongs for the
manipulation of cylindrical objects with a very elongated shape,
such as drill rods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The mechanical automatic tongs are intended to grasp cylindrical
objects with an elongated shape, and are very simple to make and
the cost is very low. The mechanical automatic bistable tongs are
constituted by a framework in which there are connecting rods
forming knuckle-joints, with means transforming the transversal
movement into an opening and closing movement for the jaws of said
tongs. A device for the control of the movement of the connecting
rods is constituted by a slide with a transversal run, limited by
stops, moving along, in the course of its movement, two sets of
connecting rods and comprising, in its center, two cylindrical
pistons, prolonged at their ends by cylindrical elements with a
smaller diameter, each of said pistons being susceptible to moving
with respect to the slide by an amplitude sufficient for partly
disengaging the cylindrical portion with the large diameter,
characterized by the fact that, when the slide is at a stop, the
large-diameter cylindrical portion of one of the pistons blocks a
set of balls in a housing that is in one piece with the framework
and keeps said slide and the tongs in a stable position.
The slide is locked by changing the position of the connecting rods
forming knuckle-joints. The slide locking safety is constituted by
the fact that the cylindrical, large-diameter portion of the piston
applies the balls in a housing that is a part of the framework.
This locking safety is obtained with the help of two springs which
hinder the movement of the pistons. Thus, a piston can move only if
it is subjected to an effort greater than the opposing action of
its spring, and the balls can then become lodged opposite the
smaller diameter portion of the piston and can release the
slide.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Thus, the advantages and features of the device involved in the
invention will emerge from the description of the tongs given here
by way of example and without any restrictions, reference being
made to the FIGURES attached hereto, showing a cross-section of the
tongs, as used in a device according to the invention.
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of the tongs of
the present invention with bistable open and closed positions.
FIG. 2 is a partial, diagrammatic sectional view of the tongs of
FIG. 1, in jaw closed position.
FIG. 3 is a similar, partial, diagrammatic, sectional view, to that
of FIG. 2, with the jaws in open position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
These tongs essentially involve a framework 1, equipped at its end,
with two jaws 2 and 3, articulated on shaft 4 affixed relative to
framework 1. A system of small connecting rods 6 and 8 makes it
possible to open or close the jaws when the common axis defining a
first knuckle joint 9 of said small connecting rods moves
longitudinally, a slight movement of the knuckle joint downward
tending to close the jaws 2 and 3. The movement of joint 9, in
turn, results from the action of two connecting rods 11 and 12,
forming a second knuckle joint, whose common axis 13 is moved in a
limited transversal movement by slide 14 and brings about the
closing or opening of the tongs. The telescoping connecting rod 12
is supported on axis 15 in the upper portion of framework 1 and
oscillates within cylindrical piece 22 driven by slide 14, through
which the joined portions of the rods 11 and 12 extend. This
connecting rod is equipped with a spring jack 17 which permits axis
13 to move aside sufficiently to permit the overstepping of the
straight line joining axes 9 and 15 while ensuring the effort
necessary to retain the load grasped by the jaws of the tongs.
The course of slide 14 is limited by two stops 19 and 19', equipped
with springs 20 and 20', and tension regulating devices 21 and
21'.
Slide 14 moves in a cylindrical piece 22 which comes in one piece
with and which is a part of the framework; this cylindrical piece
22 has, at its two ends, housings 23 and 24, for balls, such as 25
and 26. Furthermore, the slide itself is in one piece with the
balls which it moves with the help of the drilling 25' and 26'
along as it is displaced.
The central portion of the slide consists of two pistons 27 and
27'. Each includes a cylindrical portion 28, 28' with a diameter
equal to the one of its housing in the slide 14 and at the two
ends, a likewise cylindrical portion, although with a smaller
diameter, 38, 38', leaving a certain leeway in housing 22 between
pistons 27, 27' and slide 14. The two cylinders, in each case, are
connected by truncated cone 30, 30'. The interior of each piston is
hollow and receives a spring, such as 31, 31' resting, on the one
hand, on slide 14 and, on the other hand, on the bottom of the
cavity hollowed out in piston 27, 27'.
The operation of the assembly will be understood according to FIG.
2. Opposite each piston, there is a jack, such as 32 or 33 external
to the invention. Due to the action of the jacks, the slide is
moved, the closed tongs are opened and the opened tongs are closed,
respectively bringing about the release or the pickup of an
elongated cylindrical element, such as metal tube. The tongs
opening or closing mechanism operates as follows: if one looks at
the tongs in the position as indicated in FIG. 2, then a movement
of piston 32 toward the left, first of all compresses the opposing
spring 31, and then the piston comes to rest against the slide, the
ball 25 is placed before, or in front of flange 30 and then in
front of the smaller-diameter cylinder 31, and ball 25 can then
come out of its housing 23 and unblock the movement of the slide.
The movement then continues due to the thrust of jack 32 until the
moment the slide makes contact with the stop 19'. Ball 26 moves
into housing 24 and blocks the slide. In the meantime, the knuckle
joint at 13 moved along by the slide, is passed from the other side
of the straight line formed by the centers of fixed axis 4 and 15,
moving the small rods 8 and 6 back up. The jaw is open. According
to FIG. 3, one can see that the action of jack 33 exerts an inverse
effect. It should be noted that jaws 34 and 35, designed, for
example, so as to pick up 5-inch pipes, can, by adding a
supplementary jaw 36, connected to the main jaw by screw 37, pick
up 3.5-inch pipes.
Although the device just described seems most advantageous for
employing the invention in a particular technical situation, it
will be understood that various modifications, both in the number
of tongs to be attached to the beam, and in the number of pistons
moving the slide of each tongs, can be introduced in the assembly
without going beyond the frame work of the invention, certain of
its elements being capable of being replaced by others which can
perform an equivalent technical function.
* * * * *